75 Eye-Catching Silent Auction Ideas to Help You Bring in the Bids

Silent auctions are a great way to bring in bids and raise money for your favorite charity or cause. But if you want to make sure your silent auction is a success, you need to have some eye-catching items for people to bid on. In this post, we will give you 75 ideas for amazing silent auction items that will have everyone who attends your event wanting to get their hands on them!

A Year's Supply of…

Reach out to local businesses and see who might be willing to donate or offer a discount on a year's supply of their services or products for a good cause. Consider both items that people need or use anyway (which, if they win, means they won't have to think about budgeting or shopping for it for a year!) as well as luxury items that would be nice to have a regular supply of. 

Some silent auction ideas around this theme include the following:

1. Car washes
2. Coffee
3. Flowers
4. Dry cleaning
5. Diapers
6. Chocolate!

Themed Gift Baskets

Gift baskets can be put together by volunteers with items sourced from local businesses or donated by individuals. Basket themes can align with your cause or a fun theme all their own. 

Silent auction ideas for gift baskets include:

7. Rainy day games
8. Spa baskets
9. Picnic baskets
10. Holiday baskets
11. Favorite snacks
12. Movie baskets

Lessons and Classes

Who doesn't like to learn something new? The great thing about auctioning classes and lessons is that it is sometimes easier to get local individuals or businesses to offer time donations than it is to get money or objects. Offering lessons on auction can also generate interest and boost their business simultaneously. You can make packages more enticing by getting local or national celebrities to deliver the lessons. How do cooking lessons with the best chef in the county sound?

Consider these lesson-based silent auction ideas:

13. Cooking lessons
14. Music lessons
15. Ballroom dancing
16. Painting
17. Yoga
18. Photography
19. Golf
20. Gardening

Services

Offer bidders the chance to offload their workload by putting services on the auction block. You can either auction off fixed dollar amounts worth of services or a set number of hours. For example, suppose you're raising money for a student group,  or for a charity through your employer. In that case, you can even have students or coworkers volunteer to be the providers of the auctioned services. 

Ideas in this vein include the following:

21. Yardwork
22. House cleaning
23. Mechanic service 
24. Babysitting 
25. Pet sitting
26. Put up/take down holiday decor
27. Makeover with a local stylist
28. Photoshoot

Entertainment

Auctioning off entertainment experiences lets people bid on something fun and exciting. It's also more exciting to "win" your experience than just paying for it outright, especially if the money is going to a good cause. Consider auctioning sets of tickets or passes on their own, or creating themed baskets that include tickets. 

Here are just a few ideas:

29. Movie passes
30. Concert tickets
31. Backstage passes
32. Festival passes
33. Sporting game tickets

Adventure Packages

You can create adventure packages for those who like their entertainment to come with an adrenaline rush. Consider varying the sizes of these packages, including experiences for individuals, couples, and larger groups. 

Silent auction ideas for adventure-seekers include the following:

34. Skydiving
35. Zip lining
36. Hot air balloon rides
37. Go-kart racing
38. Kayak and canoe tours
39. White water rafting
40. Glider rides

Vacation Packages

If you'd like to offer some big ticket items with the hopes of bringing in some serious funds, consider putting vacation packages on the auction block. Making the packages all-inclusive (with travel, hotel, and meals) ups the enticement because trips are more relaxing when you don't have to spend extra time planning out the minute details. And if you can get your hands on difficult-to-book or quickly-sold-out experiences, even better!

Vacation packages can range from simple to extravagant and can include:

41. Cruises
42. A weekend away (these could range from a local bed and breakfast to a whirlwind trip to Paris!)
43. Vegas escape
44. Disneyland adventure
45. National parks packages
46. Staycation baskets (for those who'd like to vacation at home)
47. Camping adventures (complete with a smores basket!)

Celebrity Encounters

Hobnobbing with the rich and famous is on many people's bucket lists. Keep in mind that the definition of "celebrity" can vary. Local celebrities may include politicians, public servants, or headliners at the community theater. But you can drive bids up by reaching out to big-name movie stars, singers, and more. 

Consider the following:

48. Dinner with the mayor
49. One-on-one encounters (a meet and greet with the chance to talk and get autographs)
50. Date with a celebrity
51. VIP experience at an award show or event
52. Behind-the-scenes tours with sports legends

High-End Items

If you can get your hands on high-end items via donation or discount, you can raise considerable funds when you auction them off. Items may be obtainable via a donation from philanthropic individuals or businesses, or you might score some great deals at local antique malls or thrift shops. 

Here are just a few high-end auction ideas:

53. Custom Jewelry
54. Artwork
55. Designer handbags
56. Electronics (the latest iPhone, smartwatch, video card, and more)
57. Top-of-the-line kitchen appliances

Memorabilia

Memorabilia connects people to celebrities, historical events, or important fields of interest. Auctioning off memorabilia allows you to connect with collectors who are often driven to bid high on items for their personal meaning. You can even create a themed auction around a specific type of memorabilia. 

Memorable ideas include the following:

58. Autographed items
59. Sports memorabilia
60. Antiques
61. Vintage clothing
62. Coins and coin collections
63. Music and film memorabilia

Family Outings 

Family outing packages are great items for bidding. They fit that niche for those looking to get out and do something fun but without busting the bank and springing for a full vacation. You can even think outside the box and offer individualized opportunities that aren't available to the general public, such as private tours or lessons. 

Other family-friendly silent auction ideas include:

64. Amusement park packages
65. Museum passes
66. A trip to the zoo (with personalized animal encounters)
67. Escape rooms
68. Guided tours
69. Farm visits
70. Holiday encounters (a personal visit with the easter bunny, breakfast with Santa, and so on)

Date Nights

For the couple that wants to get away for an evening together, you can create all sorts of date night packages. Consider spicing it up by offering free babysitting for couples with children. 

Here are just a few ideas:

71. Limo and a live show
72. Dinner and a movie
73. Wine-tasting tour
74. Dinner cruise
75. Casino adventure

Bonus tip: Don't forget to promote your silent auction items leading up to your event on social media, through email marketing, and in person. The more buzz you can generate, the more successful your silent auction will be!

 Make Your Next Silent Auction a Success with FrontStream

The key to success is having the right tools on board. When it comes to holding your next silent auction, that means using a platform with all the features you need to advertise and promote your event, display items being auctioned, reach bidders, and accept and process payment. For all this and more, FrontStream has you covered.

With FrontStream's easy-to-use tools and templates, you can create a unique branded homepage in under an hour, manage your auction items, sell fundraiser tickets, promote your event, and easily incorporate mobile bidding to raise more. You'll even have access to our online community of 1.7 million philanthropic shoppers to increase bids and help you gain new supporters. Plus, securely process payments with one click at the end of your event, thank your donors, and run comprehensive reports to analyze your results and build upon your success.

See the solution in action  today and see why over 20,000 nonprofits have trusted FrontStream to help make good happen through better fundraising and donor experiences.